Sunday, December 23, 2007

Relationship Help

A related question ... If an editor emails you, does that mean you have an "email relationship" now and it's fine to use email for future correspondence? For instance, I had an editor email revision comments to me; I did the revision and now need to check in to see where it stands (many months have passed). Is it OK to email for this, or should I mail a letter inquiring?

Assuming that along with her comments she included a request to see the revision, yes, it is ok to use email for future correspondence, as long as this means

asking her if she would like the revision via email or via post (don't assume)

not emailing her more than twice in a four-month period (editors are in contact with so very many people; if every one of them emailed us just once a month, our heads (and computers) would explode.)

If she offered you some constructive comments but did not ask to see a revision, she likely feels she is under no obligation to respond personally to the revision. Ask for a status update via post, and cross your fingers.

Likewise, another editor I met said that I could email a manuscript to her. She rejected it but said she'd look at other stuff. OK to email again?

Ok to ask her via email if she'd like the manuscript via email or post.

I want to add to this—at my company, we do not accept email queries. If you email us, we’ll respond with the form response that says “we do not accept email queries, you can send snailmail query letter to this address.”

Just because you get that automated response? Does not mean that now the editor has “replied” to you, and you can email her for more details, and if the same rules apply to you, as you live in another country, etc.

Trust me, they apply to you, and also trust me, we’re not going to respond to your email.